Verortung(en) des Ecocriticism in transkulturellen Zeiten : Eine Untersuchung zur Verknüpfung einer ökologisch orientierten Literaturwissenschaft mit Konzepten der kulturellen Gedächtnisstudien am Beispiel von Peter Handkes Die Obstdiebin

Sammanfattning: The academic field of Ecocriticism has in recent years developed into an increasingly interdisciplinary, multifaceted field that no longer only concerns literary studies. This thesis aims to find a new angle that mostly has been overlooked by academics so far. It is therefore suggested to draw a connection between Ecocriticism and Cultural Memory Studies since both fields share interests in their considerations of place. The development of global and transcultural concepts in ecologically oriented literary studies, illustrated by Ursula Heise's concept of an eco-cosmopolitanism are discussed and related to new approaches in Cultural Memory Studies about Heimat (homeland) and belonging to certain places. The study then exemplifies these theoretical concepts by aiming for a close reading of Peter Handke's novel Die Obstdiebin (The Fruit-Thief) where traditional perceptions of Heimat and a local affiliation are criticized and simultaneously new, deterritorialized perspectives introduced.